Note: This blog entry is part of a series on church planting. If you would like to see all entries that have been posted so far in this series, you can bring them up by doing a search for “church planting series” on this blog. You can also purchase the full 27 page Church Planter Coaching Guide, with multiple coaching questions for each subpoint, in the Logan Leadership store.  

• Describe the initial leadership team you envision.
• What are the needed roles and responsibilities of your initial leadership team?
• Write out, in a series of bullet points, the immediate action steps you need to implement in order to develop your initial leadership team.

Determine whom you need

Before recruiting leaders, it is important to first ask yourself the question, “Who am I?” God has created you with specific strengths in order to build his kingdom. Select a leadership team that complements your giftedness– not one that duplicates it. Based on who you are, develop a personalized list of needs.

Identify core leaders

Identifying core leaders with the right qualities is critical, as they’ll play a significant role in setting the tone for your new church’s DNA. What qualities do you need to look for? Good core leaders don’t necessarily need experience, but they do need to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. Start with prayer, and consider the process you’ll use to determine who God would have join with you.

Ensure ownership of the vision

For others to take ownership of the ministry, they must embrace the vision. If you present the people around you with your own dreams, it’ll be a hard sell. But if a group of people can join together and share a dream, along with the steps for reaching it, you’ll have launched a ministry team.

Commitment is evidenced by behavior. Look at how people spend their time and money. As you unpack the vision, help people see what it looks like behaviorally by modeling it yourself and describing for others the boundaries of their actions. People are committed to what they help develop. Involving them in the visionizing process increases their ownership. Try this exercise: Gather your team around a table and hand out post-it notes. Have each person write down words on the post-it notes that paint a picture of the vision they have for your church. After this is done, put all the thoughts on a white board, and arrange the notes into groups. You’ll see the connections, and this visual can refine and sharpen your vision.

Confirm giftedness and responsibilities

All Christians have at least one spiritual gift, and Christian leaders are responsible for helping believers find, develop and practice their gifts accordingly. Moreover, when people use their gifts, they become more effective and fulfilled. During the church planting process, gift placement can bring more effectiveness to your leadership team.

Motivate for the mission

Mission answers the question, “How will you get there?”  It is the specific “who, what and how” of achieving the vision. It defines and details your intended strategy.